Jantar Mantar no longer a protest site: Delhi’s changing geography of dissent

For nearly three decades, Delhi’s Jantar Mantar has served as a familiar address for ordinary people seeking to express their anger, grievances, demands and dissent. Farmers, workers, students, women’s rights activists, and various social and political organisations have travelled from across the country to make their voices heard by the government and the nation. However, in an order issued on October 11 this year, the Delhi Police removed Jantar Mantar from the list of officially designated protest sites. In its place, Ramlila Maidan, Burari Maidan and CBD Maidan in East Delhi have been designated as alternative locations for demonstrations. Has the space for protest in the national capital become even more restricted? What does it mean to move people away from a place where they have long sought to bring their demands to the attention of those in power?

Before Jantar Mantar emerged as a prominent site of protest in Delhi, Boat Club was an important gathering point. Located near India Gate, its proximity to Parliament House and the then Rajpath made it a popular venue for large public gatherings. In 1988, a massive farmers’ movement led by Mahendra Singh Tikait created a political stir in the capital. Thousands of farmers gathered there to press for their demands. In the aftermath of the agitation, efforts to regulate large gatherings at Boat Club gained momentum.

In the early 1990s, the political atmosphere across the country grew increasingly charged amid the Ram Janmabhoomi–Babri Masjid movement. Restrictions were imposed on gatherings at Boat Club during this period, creating the need for alternative venues for public demonstrations. From 1993 onwards, the roads around Jantar Mantar began to emerge as an alternative. Its proximity to Parliament and relatively limited space also made it easier for the administration to regulate gatherings.

Built in the eighteenth century, Jantar Mantar was originally an astronomical observatory. Over time, however, the roads surrounding this historic structure became a meeting point for protesters arriving from different parts of the country. Whether it was the loss of land, the denial of justice, demands for employment and fair wages, or opposition to government policies, Jantar Mantar became a space where a wide range of grievances could find expression.

Photograph by: Madan Manhatta (1955)

Jantar Mantar gained even greater prominence in 2011, when social activist Anna Hazare began a hunger strike there demanding the enactment of a strong Lokpal law to combat corruption. The movement soon generated a nationwide political debate. Among those who joined Hazare’s campaign was Arvind Kejriwal, along with several other prominent figures. The movement subsequently contributed to the emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party.

Yet Jantar Mantar’s significance extended beyond major political movements. It also became a platform for ordinary people whose voices rarely reached the mainstream media or the corridors of power. Some spent years demanding justice; others protested against government decisions or remained on the streets for days, seeking to protect their rights. For them, Jantar Mantar represented a place where they could, at the very least, speak out in public.

However, this space for dissent has gradually come under greater restrictions. In 2017, the National Green Tribunal directed that protests at Jantar Mantar be stopped and protesters relocated elsewhere. The order followed complaints from local residents about noise pollution and unsanitary conditions. Although permission for demonstrations at Jantar Mantar was subsequently restored, questions about the regulation of protest sites and the methods of public dissent continued to persist.

Under the October 11, 2026, order, the Delhi Police has designated three new locations for protests in place of Jantar Mantar. Ramlila Maidan is approximately three kilometres from Parliament House. Burari Maidan, in north-west Delhi, is around 16 kilometres away, while CBD Maidan in East Delhi is approximately 26 kilometres from the parliamentary complex. At least two of the newly designated locations are therefore considerably farther from the capital’s central administrative district.

According to the administration, the decision was taken on the basis of recommendations made by a committee constituted by the Union Home Ministry. Separate guidelines detailing the rules for organising demonstrations at the new locations are expected to be issued subsequently. The designation of alternative sites does not amount to a complete ban on protests. Instead, it changes the arrangements governing where demonstrations can officially take place.

The decision comes at a time when protests are taking place in Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Opposition parties and various organisations have raised allegations of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Police restrictions, detentions and heightened security measures surrounding the October 10 demonstrations have already triggered controversy. The subsequent decision to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest sites has raised further questions.

The opportunity to protest near Parliament increases the likelihood that citizens’ demands will attract the attention of elected representatives and the media. When demonstrations are relocated to distant parts of the capital, questions remain about how much of that visibility can be retained.